BHUBANESWAR: Malkanagiri is the worst-hit district as far as naxalite menace is concerned during past seven years. About 43 per cent of the total number of cases reported during this period are from this tribal-dominated district of Orissa.

In a written reply to a query, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday informed the State Assembly that while left-wing extremists had attacked as many as 234 times in groups, Malkanagiri district witnessed 99 naxalite attacks since 2000.

Other districts

Rayagada, Sambalpur and Koraput were other three districts where CPI (Maoist) organised attacks 50, 27 and 20 times respectively. The extremist groups have spread the menace in 11 of 30 districts by indulging in violence in the past seven years, Mr. Patnaik said.

As per the information provided by Chief Minister, most of the naxalite attacks were noticed under Kalimela, Motu, Chitrakonda and MV-79 police stations in Malkanagiri district, which is bordering to Andhra Pradesh.

Since beginning of 2007, the left-wing ultras came in groups to attack 20 times in five districts of the State. Again a majority of the attacks (11 times) were reported in Malkanagiri district. During 2002, Malkanagiri hogged headlines as 23 of 42 attacks were made by naxalites in the district.

Apart from Malkanagiri, other southern districts Rayagada, Gajapati and Koraput had been time after time witnessing naxalite violence, which were targeted mostly on security personnel.

However, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Deogarh were some non-southern districts, which had increasingly come in the radar of these left-wing extremists in last seven years.

Landmines, claymoremines and hand grenades were most used means by naxalites to perpetrate the crimes.

Answering to a separate question, Mr. Patnaik said in Mayurbhanj district, where spurt of naxalite violence was noticed in recent past, said that two companies of Central Reserve Police Force, six platoons of Orissa State Armed Police force and three sections of special operation group were deployed to keep ultras at bay.

He said about 10 suspected Maoists were apprehended in connection with killing of a forest guard under Gorumahisani police station of the district.

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